FLORHAM PARK, N.J. -- Ryan Fitzpatrick looked out at the practice field and couldnt help but get excited.After a terrific season a year ago, the New York Jets offense is expecting even bigger things. And, with Matt Forte now teamed with Brandon Marshall and Eric Decker, its enough to make a quarterback downright giddy.I feel pretty good about it, Fitzpatrick said Wednesday. It was fun out in practice today, just to have everybody out there running around, with all the different options and guys. Just continue to work on that communication, but thats what were looking forward to.The Jets, who open at home against Cincinnati on Sunday, finished 10th in overall offense last season, when Fitzpatrick set a franchise record with 31 touchdown passes. Meanwhile, Marshall set franchise bests with 109 receptions, 1,502 yards receiving and 14 TD catches. New York also set team marks with 5,925 net yards and 4,057 yards passing.They were all surprisingly gaudy numbers for an offense that was one of the most improved in the league. Under Chan Gailey, the Jets leaped 12 spots in total offense. New York also finished third in red-zone efficiency (66 percent) after being last in the NFL at 36.2 percent in 2014.I think that we have more confidence going into the year this year than maybe we did last year, Fitzpatrick said. I think maybe we expect more out of ourselves, but that being said, weve got to go out there and do it, and its hard to look ahead or look at the entire season and put some goals on it.I think it really just starts with Sunday and setting the tone, and really trying to figure out what kind of football team were going to be this year.A lot will depend on how Fitzpatrick, who was re-signed to a one-year, $12 million deal just before training camp started, performs this season.Some fans and media still look at him as the ultimate journeyman, a quarterback who has been with six teams in his 12-year career. Others think perhaps he has finally found a home with the Jets, operating Gaileys offense efficiently -- just as he did during their days together in Buffalo from 2010-12.It certainly helps that Fitzpatrick has two star receivers in Marshall and Decker, who have a full year of experience playing together.I think, at least on offense, were more familiar with each other, Fitzpatrick said. I think that we have a better idea of everybodys strong points and weak points. And I just think everybodys going to have a better understanding of the system and what were trying to get done.Adding a playmaking running back such as Forte, whos just two years removed from setting an NFL record with 102 catches, is another reason for optimism.The things that I saw from afar, Im now seeing them and I cant wait to get into the live action, Fitzpatrick said of Forte. I just think the overall awareness and the experience that he has playing the game of football, he kind of fits right into that huddle.The Jets also have three speedy rookie wide receivers in the mix with seventh-rounder Charone Peake and undrafted Robby Anderson and Jalin Marshall. The trick for Fitzpatrick will be trying to spread the ball around.The problem isnt when were in the huddle, its when were breaking the huddle, Fitzpatrick joked. They think theyve all learned from when Brandon, when we break the huddle says, `Hey, Ill be open. Theyve all, like, taken that cue.Marshall re-established himself last season as one of the best receivers in the league, routinely coming up with big catches. He insists statistics are of no concern to him these days.Neither he nor Fitzpatrick has ever played in the postseason. They both want that to change. After coming within a victory of getting to the playoffs in 2015, Marshall heads into this season with what he said is a lot of anxiety.I just want to win, Marshall said. I dont care about the big play. I dont care about making `SportsCenter. I dont care about contracts and all of that. At this point in my career, I just want to win. Im not happy. Im not happy until I win. Im not excited about, `Oh, come Sunday, the flyover. Well, Sunday will be special because its 9/11, obviously, but when the clock hits zero, where do we stand?And thats what I care about for the rest of my career.Game notes Marshall was limited at practice with sore hips, but isnt concerned about his availability for the opener. ... LB Jordan Jenkins (calf), QB Bryce Petty (right shoulder) and CB Darryl Roberts (foot) did not practice. LB David Harris (shoulder), DE Leonard Williams (hip) and LB Bruce Carter (shoulder) were limited.---AP NFL website: www.pro32.ap.org and www.twitter.com/AP-NFL Geoff Schwartz Jersey Store . Gather a group of friends, or find a league to join online, draft your team, set your lineup and compete in a number of different formats. Frank Nesser Jersey Store . The CFLs leading rusher kept adding to his gaudy numbers this season and scored the winning touchdown with just over two minutes to play. The New Westminster, B.C., native plowed three yards into the end zone for the last score of a heated, see-saw battle between the two teams with the best records in the CFL. https://www.chinacheapjerseys.net/cairo-santos-jersey-store/ . McPhee said that Ovechkins father Mikhail is in stable condition after having the surgery this week and is no longer in intensive care. "Weve told him to stay as long as necessary with your dad," he said. Ovechkin and his Russian national team were eliminated from the mens hockey tournament in Sochi on Wednesday with a 3-1 quarter-final loss to Finland. Morgan Tiller Jersey Store . -- Team after team passed on Andre Ellington in the draft. Alfred Malone Jersey Store . LUCIE, Fla.NEWARK – With some uncertainty at the position, Dave Nonis took steps to address the Leafs strength down the middle, both now and in the future. Nonis sprung to acquire Game 6 hero Dave Bolland from Chicago on draft day, also selecting 6-foot-5 Rimouski pivot Frederik Gauthier with the 21st overall pick. The moves work to address a position of instability within the organization, most immediately with the acquisition of Bolland, a 27-year-old Toronto native who won his second Cup with the Hawks earlier this week. “It doesnt mean that were not [stilll] looking to try to shore up that area because from our standpoint, it still is an area of, I wouldnt say weakness, but were not incredibly deep down the middle and thats why it was important to get him,” said Nonis, minutes after the deal for Bolland was announced. Centre-ice had been, and still remains to some degree, a position of uncertainty. Tyler Bozak, the Leafs number one middleman in 2013, is on the verge of unrestricted free agency with the very real possibility looming that he moves elsewhere for more money than Toronto is willing to offer. With that in mind and some additional uncertainty in the contributions of Mikhail Grabovski and Nazem Kadri next season, Nonis looked for assurance in Bolland, who has one year remaining at a cap hit of $3.3 milion. “It wouldnt rule out signing Tyler at all,” Nonis said of Bozak, who is searching for a significant raise this summer. “If we can find a way of getting him signed then we will. Nothing has changed in that regard from our standpoint.” The injection of Bolland, the former London Knight, into a complement that already includes Grabovski, Kadri (restricted free agent) and Jay McClement, means the Leafs could theoretically be set down the middle for the fall; that is if Bozak departs and Nonis cannot land additional help through the trade or free agent markets. “Yeah, no question that was part of it,” Nonis concurred. “To make sure that we had some depth and we would be able to compete with the group that we had. We feel that if we get everybody signed and in, and now with David, wed be in a perfectly good position to start the season.” With Grabovski and Kadri (potentially) slotting in as the first and second line centres – in lieu of any other moves, which remain a real possibility – Bolland could line up in the all-important three-hole for Randy Carlyle, removing some pressure on Grabovski in defensive situations while injecting the potential for more offence than McClement may provide. Additionally, if Nonis and the Leafs opt to upgrade further down the middle, Bollands acquisition allows further flexibility to perhaps move someone else out or otherwise enjoy long-starved depth at the position. “He played behind some pretty good people [in Chicago] and I think Randy, he wont pigeon-hole him as a third-line centre,” Nonis said of Bolland, who dropped to the fourth line spot for the Hawks in the playoffs, behind the likes of Jonathan Toews, Michal Handzus and Marcus Kruger. “I think hell probably be put in maybe a more prominent role with us than he was in Chicago.” Formerly the head man in Anaheim, Carlyle had plenty of first-hand experience in the Western Conference with Bolland, who fits the gritty mold the Leafs coach seems prefers in his players. “I can tell you that Randy is very happy that we brought Dave Bolland in,” Nonis noted. “Hes the type of player that thrives under the way he coaches. And Randy moves people around the lineup and I think thats something that Dave Bolland has done throughout his career very effectively.” A force during the Hawks run to the Cup in 2010 – 16 points – Bolland was hhobbled by injuries throughout the 2013 season – he sat out 13 games – even missing the first five games of the playoffs with a groin issue.dddddddddddd Plugged further down the lineup than he had been in the past, Bolland totaled just a single point in series wins against Detroit and Los Angeles before breaking out with three goals and five points against the Bruins, including the Cup-clinching goal in Game 6. “I think its going to be great,” Bolland said of returning home to Toronto. “I think this is one team like the Blackhawks team thats coming up and is going to do great things – hopefully like we did [in Chicago].” Nonis said discussions with Chicago general manager Stan Bowman had been ongoing for quite some time, the Leafs general manager initiating the deal, which sent the 51st and 117th picks to the Hawks this year as well as a fourth rounder in 2014, shortly after the Cup had been awarded. Toronto now has 12 players under contract for the 2013-2014 campaign, still working on contracts for a restricted free agent class that includes Kadri, Cody Franson, Carl Gunnarsson, and newly acquired Jonathan Bernier. With upwards of $19 million available following the likely compliance buyout of Mike Komisarek, Nonis still has plenty of work ahead. “We think theres more things that we hope to do,” he stated, “whether we can accomplish those between now and September remains to be seen. But were going to try to remain active and see if theres more changes we can make.” In addition to Bolland, Nonis and his scouting staff looked to address the centre position long-term, settling on Gauthier with their first round pick, a big, defense-first centre from the Quebec league. Gauthier projects as a stable, low-risk option down the middle, a player who might line up in a shutdown role for the Leafs one day, though not anytime soon. “Were pretty comfortable that he should round out to a second-line centre top-end, but at least a third line guy that can be very responsible,” Nonis said of Gauthier, who remains a work in progress offensively, nonetheless totaling 22 goals in his first season with the Oceanic. “Hes the type of player that you need to eat up minutes, a big-minute crunching centreman that right now we were lacking.” Of those “indicators” which suggest NHL potential, Dave Morrison, the Leafs head scout, pointed to Gauthiers size, defensive savvy, and ability to process the game. “We just think theres some upside,” Morrison told TSN.ca, also emphasizing Gauthiers competitiveness and skill on the draw, “how much offensively remains to be seen. But were hopeful. Hes still a young guy, a big body thats still growing, still growing into that body.” Nonis said he and his management team looked seriously at the prospect of moving up in Sundays draft, the price-point just too high to justify a move. “The assets to move up didnt make any sense,” he said. “The temptation to try to do something is always there. I think as you get closer to the draft the temptation actually even increases. You have to make sure you check yourself because its pretty easy to do some pretty significant damage by moving pieces out that you think are going to be long-term pieces of the puzzle. “Were there options? There was a couple of options, but they werent going to help the Toronto Maple Leafs, they were going to probably set us back.” The Leafs went on to select Carter Verhaeghe, an Ontario native and centre from the Niagara IceDogs, in the third round, adding Swiss forward Fabrice Herzog in the fifth, P.E.I. Rockets goalie Antoine Bideau in the sixth, and smallish Swedish defenceman Andreas Johnson in the seventh and final round. ' ' '